Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 April 1899 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

(From oar regular correspondent.) Whew! such a rumpus has not taken place daring the present administration as is now raging around the head of Attorney General Griggs. It’s all about a letter that Griggs wrote about trusts, containing opinions that the remainder of the administration are afraid to stand for. Some of his fellow members of the Cabinet have said a few things to Griggs, but it is understood that their remarks will be entirely forgotten when Mr. McKinley returns and empties the vials of his wrath on him. Some of the administration hangers-on say that Griggs was buncoed into writing the letter by his correspondent, who asked for the information, stating that he was a republican; and that he would not have it had he supposed it would be published. Of course, everybody knew that the administration was not unfriendly to the trusts, with Which Boss Hanna has such close business relations, but, in deference to voters who do not share in the profits of the trusts, it has been understood by those who are close to the throne that an anti-trust plank was to be inserted in the next republican platform, meaningless of course, to head off the democratic claim that the republicans are responsible for all the trusts. Mr. Griggs must have known this. Yet, he wrote as follows, to a correspondent unknown to him personally, concerning trusts; “As a matter of fact, all sf the companies which you refer to as now organizing for the purpose of securing complete or partial monopoly of different branches of manufacture, are similar to the sugar combination, and are not within the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts. If amenable to any law they'are amenable to the laws of the respective states.” But the following was the gem of the letter: “With reference to these large combinations of capital, which are now forming, my own judgment is that the danger is not so much to the community at large as it is to the people who are induced to put their money into the purchase of the stock.” There is nothing in this situation to make democrats mad, but a prominent republican, after a number of unprintable things, said: “The Attorney General has gratuitously made the announcement that the government is powerless to prevent or regulate the formation of combinations of capital to control the manufacture of the necessaries of life, and he winds up this remarkable statement with a flippant remark about the danger of investing in trust stocks. Mr. Griggs is in a fair way to become a second Burchard to the republican party.” * * * Senator Stewart, of Nevada, who never minces words when he expresses an opinion, said of Col. Bryan’s refusal to attend the Belmont Jefferson banquet: “Bryan made the hit of his career when he refused to attend the Belmont $lO dinner. Not one of the crowd would ever vote the democratic ticket anyhow. Bryan’s position brings him closer to the people. Consorting with renegades would estrange them from him. He will certainly be renominated in 1900. The Chicago platform will be reaffirmed, and the democracy will win.” * * * The heavy price of American life and blood paid for our new victories over the Filipinos in the heavy fighting of the last few days, in consequence of the movement of Gen. Otis against Aguinaldo, adds interest to this plain talk from Senator Mason, who is now in Waphington. “I find,” said Senator Mason, “a pronounced change of sentiment among men with whom I talk. Substantial business men who three months ago were red-hot for expansion, now say they have had enough of it. I ask them how about the prestige of their country, and they say they care little about prestige derived from conquering such men, but that the taxes resulting are what they fear. The idea of calling those Filipinos rebels as some of our newspapers persist in doing is unjust. They have never taken the oath of allegiance to the U. S. They wanted independence from the start and they sakl so. They will always hate us and nothing is to be gained by conquering them. Even if we do overcome them, they will turn around and poison our people. I have just learned from the Surgeon General’s office that 21 per cent, of our men out there are afflicted with a loathsome disease. This is a bad beginning for our army. lam not a high moralist, and not so much opposed to stealing in itself; but I do question the judgment Of a man who steals a red-hot stove that he is in no position to carry off. Such a thief

is a fool. The attempt of the U. S. to steal the liberty of the Filipinos is of the same sort I believe the American people are waking up to this question.” *•* “It is a little odd,” said a prominent New Yorker, “that none of the shrewd newspaper men have nosed out the true inwardness of the sudden friendship of Boss Platt for Teddy Roosevelt The guess that Platt, who has been a guest at Teddy’s Albany home, was grooming Teddy to be a candidate against McKinley for the republican nomination for President next year, is away off; Platt pledged the New York delegation to McKinley in the early days of the present administration, and his jollying of Teddy is for the purpose of preventing his trying to interfere with the carrying out of that pledge. Watch the result, and you will see that this is straight.”